Sentence for Dissident Signals Beijing’s Tougher Stance

The trial also underlines Beijing’s increased efforts to control the internet. Mr Liu once predicted the internet would have a huge political impact in China. “The internet is God’s present to China,” he wrote in 2006. “It is the best tool for the Chinese people in their project to cast off slavery and strive for freedom.”

Earlier this month, the Chinese government introduced measures to control the internet, including rules that limit the ability of individuals to set up a website and increase the scrutiny of companies with websites.

This year China has blocked Twitter, YouTube and Facebook as well as hundreds of other websites in a drive the authorities say is aimed at limiting access to pornography and preventing internet scams.